'Staggering' civilian death toll in Iraq: UN report
Jan 20, 2016, at 03:02 pm
New York, Jan 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): A United Nations report released on Tuesday details the severe and extensive impact on civilians of the ongoing conflict in Iraq, with at least 18,802 civilians killed and another 36,245 wounded between January 2014 and October 2015, while another 3.2 million people have been internally displaced due to violence.
Long-term funding crucial to monitoring nuclear agreement with Iran: UN
Jan 20, 2016, at 03:01 pm
New York, Jan 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The head of the United Nations nuclear agency on Tuesday called for long-term predictable funding to monitor Iran’s agreement with the international community to never seek, develop or acquire nuclear weapons.
In Jordan, UN refugee agency chief urges greater efforts to end Syria conflict
Jan 20, 2016, at 02:53 pm
New York, Jan 20 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The international community must make greater efforts to end the conflict in Syria or risk prolonging the world's biggest humanitarian crisis for many years to come, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has said during a trip to the region.
UN efforts to counter El Niño-exacerbated drought in southern Africa
Jan 19, 2016, at 02:52 pm
New York, Jan 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS): With 14 million people facing hunger in southern Africa as the El Niño weather pattern, the worst in over three decades, exacerbates drought, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday that it faces critical funding challenges in scaling up food and cash-based aid.
UN Security Council removes Iranian bank from sanctions list
Jan 18, 2016, at 01:58 pm
New York, Jan 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations Security Council announced on Sunday that it has removed Iranian Bank Sepah and its international subsidiary from a sanctions list, following Saturday's announcement of a UN report confirming that Iran has completed necessary preparatory steps to start the implementation of a plan of action aiming to resolve the nuclear issue.
UN chief condemns 'heinous terrorist attacks' in Burkina Faso's capital
Jan 17, 2016, at 02:48 pm
New York, Jan 17 (IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday condemned the "heinous terrorist attacks" carried out yesterday in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital, which resulted in more than 20 deaths and many other people wounded.
UN condemns attack on African Union base in southern region of Somalia
Jan 16, 2016, at 03:40 pm
New York, Jan 16 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the terrorist attack perpetrated by Al Shabaab this morning against an African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) base in the town of El Adde, Gedo region in Somalia.
UN must get 'priorities right' in 2016, Ban tells Member States
Jan 15, 2016, at 03:11 pm
New York, Jan 15 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Sharing his thoughts on the direction of the United Nations' work in 2016,Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday said the global community begins the year needing to get its "priorities right," while underlining that more and better work needs to be done.
UN calls for regional coordination to aid refugees fleeing Central American violence
Jan 15, 2016, at 03:05 pm
New York, Jan 15 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations refugee agency on Thursday called for urgent regional coordination to help people fleeing deadly violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in the light of plans by the United States to expand its resettlement programme to benefit them.
UN funds seek to aid 1.7 million Africans uprooted by Boko Haram violence
Jan 14, 2016, at 03:34 pm
New York, Jan 14 (Just Earth News/IBNS): With the Lake Chad Basin now the fastest-growing displacement crisis in Africa as 2.7 million people, 1.5 million of them children, have been uprooted by Boko Haram terrorists, the United Nations emergency fund has announced new grants of $31 million to four countries in the region.
UN condemns 'despicable' terrorist bombing in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet District
Jan 13, 2016, at 02:40 pm
New York, Jan 13 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the terrorist bombing in Sultanahmet Square in Istanbul, Turkey, calling it a "despicable crime targeting the heart of Istanbuls tourist district."
UN General Assembly – 'Parliament for all people' – celebrates 70th anniversary
Jan 12, 2016, at 01:38 pm
New York, Jan 12 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Marking the 70th anniversary of the first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday said the body has truly become the "Parliament for all people."
Syria: UN and partners get relief convoy into besieged town of Madaya
Jan 12, 2016, at 01:36 pm
New York, Jan 12 (Just Earth News/IBNS): A humanitarian convoy has finally reached the besieged Syrian town of Madaya with life-saving health and food supplies from the United Nations and its partners for the 42,000 desperate residents after reports of people starving to death under encirclement by pro-Government forces.
UN agency condemns demolition of homes of Palestinian Bedouins in West Bank
Jan 08, 2016, at 03:17 pm
New York, Jan 8 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Condemning the demolition by Israeli authorities of the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the West Bank, a senior United Nations relief official on Friday called on Israel to end such destruction and halt its plans to forcibly relocate Bedouin families.
UN calls for humanitarian access to besieged areas in Syria, welcomes new approvals from Government
Jan 08, 2016, at 03:00 pm
New York, Jan 8 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations is calling on Friday for unimpeded humanitarian access to reach people in need in hard-to-reach and besieged areas of Syria, while welcoming the recent approval by the Government to access the towns of Madaya, Foah and Kefraya.
UN deplores 'deeply troubling' hydrogen bomb test announced by DPR Korea
Jan 07, 2016, at 02:27 pm
New York, Jan 7 (Just Earth News/IBNS); The United Nations at all levels on Wednesday deplored the underground nuclear test announced by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon calling it "deeply troubling" and the UN Security Council vowing to immediately begin considering the "significant measures" it had vowed to take in the event of another nuclear test by the country.
Dialogue needed between UN, troop and police-contributors: Security Council
Jan 01, 2016, at 03:28 pm
New York, Jan 1 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The Security Council on Thursday, noting "frustrations on all sides," highlighted the need to improve dialogue between the United Nations Secretariat and the countries that provide troops and police personnel for the numerous peace operations deployed around the world.
UN peacekeepers help provide security as Central African Republic holds elections
Dec 31, 2015, at 02:24 pm
New York, Dec 31 (Just Earth News/IBNS): United Nations peacekeepers were out in force at polling stations throughout the Central African Republic (CAR) on Wednesday as the country voted in presidential and legislative elections, a major step on the path to stability after two years of conflict between Muslims and Christians.
UN declares end to Ebola in Guinea; all three host countries free
Dec 30, 2015, at 02:26 pm
New York, Dec 30 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations health agency on Tuesday declared the end of Ebola virus transmission in Guinea, where the epidemic began two years ago before spreading to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone and, ultimately by land and air travel to seven other countries, killing over 11,300 people.
UN delivers medicine for 1.2 million people in war-ravaged central Yemen
Dec 29, 2015, at 02:38 pm
New York, Dec 29 (Just Earth News/IBNS): The United Nations health agency has delivered more than 100 tonnes of medicines and supplies for 1.2 million people in strife-torn Yemen's central Taiz governorate, where over 3 million people, almost 400,000 of them internally displaced, are in dire need of humanitarian aid.
Syria: UN and partners aid evacuation of injured from four besieged towns
Dec 29, 2015, at 02:19 pm
New York, Dec 29 (Just Earth News/IBNS): More than 460 people, including the seriously injured and their family members, were evacuated from four towns under siege in Syria on Monday with the help of the United Nations and its Red Cross and Red Crescent partners following a local agreement between the fighters on the ground.
Amid dire humanitarian situation, some 2.5 million now internally displaced in Yemen - UN
Dec 22, 2015, at 03:27 pm
New York, Dec 22 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The situation in Yemen has substantially deteriorated since the conflict broke out in early 2015, with a nine per cent increase in the internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have reached 2.5 million, according to a recent United Nations-backed report on the issue.
Global forced displacement for 2015 on track to break all records, topping 60 million - UN
Dec 19, 2015, at 03:34 pm
New York, Dec 19 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Forced displacement this year is likely exceed all previous records, for the first time topping 60 million, meaning that one out of every 122 persons on Earth has been forced to flee their home, the United Nations refugee agency warned today.
Dec 18, 2015, at 03:36 pm
New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS) After two days of meetings in Jerusalem and Ramallah with Israeli and Palestinian officials, the United Nations and its partners in the diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East peace process strongly condemned on Thursday all acts of terror and stressed the importance of opposing unequivocally incitement and violence and de-escalate the situation.
UN welcomes 'historic' signing of Libyan Political Agreement
Dec 18, 2015, at 03:25 pm
New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Representatives from a broad range of Libyan society on Thursday signed a United Nations-brokered agreement on forming a national unity government, a move welcomed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his top envoy for the country as among the "essential building blocks towards a peaceful, secure and prosperous Libya," but also as "the beginning of a difficult journey" along that path.
UN's rapid response humanitarian fund marks 10th anniversary with plans to upgrade
Dec 18, 2015, at 03:13 pm
New York, Dec 18 (Just Earth News/IBNS) The United Nations rapid response funding mechanism for saving tens of thousands of lives in both sudden disasters and long-festering crises marked its 10th anniversary on Thursday with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laying out plans to strengthen it in the face of mounting challenges.
'Show unprecedented vision to make peace,' senior UN official tells Israeli, Palestinian leaders
Dec 17, 2015, at 02:28 pm
New York, Dec 17 (Just Earth News/IBNS) Citing Palestinian attacks against Israelis, perceived impunity for settler violence against Palestinians and the impression of an endless occupation, a senior United Nations political official on Wednesday called for “unprecedented vision†by both sides to take the bold steps necessary for peace.
Fundamental freedoms inalienable and inherent – now and always: UN
Dec 11, 2015, at 03:08 pm
New York, Dec 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Marking this year's Human Rights Day amid extraordinary global challenges, the United Nations is calling on the world to recognize and guarantee fundamental freedoms – long recognized "as the birthright of all people" – freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom of speech and freedom of thought, conscience and religion.
'We can consign rabies to the history books' with plan to eliminate virus: WHO
Dec 11, 2015, at 02:59 pm
New York, Dec 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Against the backdrop of one person dying every 10 minutes from rabies and that treatment for those bitten can cost 40 days of wages in some countries, the United Nations announced on Thursday a new framework to eliminate human rabies and save tens of thousands of lives each year by ensuring ready availability of vaccines and treatment, and emphasizing mass dog vaccinations to tackle the disease at its source.
UN human rights chief hails end of death penalty in Mongolia
Dec 11, 2015, at 02:57 pm
New York, Dec 11 (Just Earth News/IBNS): Hailing Mongolia's recent abolition of the death penalty, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, commended the move as a "welcome step in the fight for the human rights of all."